For an instant they stood like stone images. Then The lunged forward and caught Ty’s arm, the lantern went out, I heard one clear report, and one muffled one, and then I started for ’em. I bumped into a heavy form, two naked arms went around me in a bear-grip, and we rolled to the floor. The candle in our offset had burned out; but I knew it was the Friar, ’cause his was the only smooth face among us. “This is Happy,” I muttered, and we rose to our feet.
A struggle was goin’ on beyond us, and I thought it was Olaf and the Chink; so I lit a match, knowin’ that Ty would ’a’ had plenty o’ time to get away already. As the match burned up, I saw the Chink lyin’ stretched out, and Olaf and Ty locked together. Olaf had his leg wrapped around Ty’s, and was bendin’ his back. Ty’s eyes were stickin’ out white an’ gruesome, and he was gurglin’ in the throat. Suddenly, somethin’ cracked and they both fell to the floor o’ the tunnel just as the match went out.
I heard hard breathin’, and then Olaf’s harsh voice came out o’ the darkness. “Well,” he said, “I guess that squares things.”
“What’s happened, what’s happened?” asked a panting voice, and then I knew ’at Horace hadn’t been able to stand it any longer, and had come in, game wing and all.
“We’ve settled up with Ty Jones—that’s what’s happened,” said Olaf; and as we stood there in the gloom, the drip o’ the dawn came rollin’ cold and gray down the slant o’ the tunnel; and I shuddered and turned away to find somethin’ for my hands to do.
[CHAPTER FORTY-THREE—THE GIFT OF THE DAWN]
The first thing I did was to light the lantern, for the daylight which came down there was too much in keepin’ with the conditions to suit me. Promotheus was doubled up an’ holdin’ his side; so the first thing I did was to ask him if he was bad hurt. The’ was a smile on his lips, a regular satisfied, self-composed smile, but I didn’t just like the look in his eyes.
“Nope, I don’t ache at all, Happy,” he said in a firm voice; “but I can’t move much. Tend to the others first.”
It seems ’at Ty’s first shot had hit the woman in the head, and his next had got The in the side—but The had managed to get the gun away from him, which is why the rest of us were spared.
The Friar had carried the woman into our offset, and was rubbin’ her wrists and workin’ over her, though the’ didn’t appear to be much use. She was still alive; but that was just all, so I left them and examined the rest. Ty was all twisted out o’ shape, and lay with his eyes open, glassy an’ stary and horrible. Olaf hadn’t had time to quite finish the Chink, and he was crawlin’ down the tunnel when I nabbed him. Then Horace took the lantern while Olaf and I hog-tied Pepper Kendal and the Chink.